A Peek at Paris Through Harvard Online
Published August 6, 2024
Remember when you could close your eyes as a child and be instantly transported to another place? Or be so curious about understanding what is all around you and be excited to learn more?
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Art, music, and the visual splendor in our surroundings have a way of moving us. Few cities capture this effect like Paris, France. What comes to mind when you think of Paris?
Is it the Eiffel Tower? Perhaps the Champs-Élysées? Or the River Seine tracing its way through the city’s core? Indeed, that’s understandably what a lot of people initially think of with Paris in mind. Let’s delve deeper.
As we enter the second half of the Games, we invite you to uncover some of the marvels of Paris. Step in and take a closer look at the city’s rich history, art, and culture, through Harvard University’s trove of resources from Harvard Online, its art museums, and libraries. See them for yourself.
Paris Hosts the World: 1900, 1924, 2024
Every avenue and square in Paris has a story to tell. Harvard’s Geospatial Library offers a glimpse into the city’s development with historical maps, including one from 1900 when Paris hosted the second modern Olympic Games. This was a landmark event, being the first Olympics held outside of Athens and introducing female athletes and competitors from beyond Europe and the U.S.
1924 Paris Olympics marks the second time Paris hosted the Games. This year’s Olympics celebrates the centenary of those games. Unlike past games, though, they commenced with a departure from tradition as thousands of athletes floated on boats down the River Seine, diverging from the classic stadium entrance.
The Eiffel Tower
No landmark represents Paris quite like the Eiffel Tower. Standing 300 meters tall, this steel tower was designed by the renowned engineer, Gustave Eiffel, for the World’s Fair in 1889. The date marked the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.
The Impressionists
Join Harvard Professor Edward Glaeser in CitiesX as he transports you to the Paris salons of the 19th century, where Impressionism was born. “These painters met in Paris. They met in the Paris atelier of Charles Gleyre, they convened in the bohemian Cafe Guerbois, where talent was everywhere and ideas were in the air,” says Professor Glaeser.
The Pompidou Center
Explore the The Pompidou Center in Paris through Harvard Online’s The Architecture Imagination course with Harvard Professor K. Michael Hays at the Graduate School of Design. Located in the Marais district, this cultural center is known for its avant-garde architecture and contemporary art. “Inspired by post-1968 philosophies of collectivity and community. The ultimate goal was a building that would support and represent freedom and change in direct response to the desires of its users,” notes Professor Hays.
Paris Conservatory in First Nights
Harvard University Professor Thomas Forrest Kelly reflects on attending a performance at the Paris Conservatory, a prestigious music school founded in 1795 that trains classical musicians: “It's really like listening to enormous chamber music very close up.” Experience marvelous pieces of music, including Hector Berlioz's "The Fantastic Symphony," and so much more in First Nights: Monteverdi's L’Orfeo and the Birth of Opera.
As you explore these rich visual mediums, you’ll discover the Paris of today is informed by the Paris of years past. Through Harvard Online, enjoy the magical feeling of being transported and immersed in the arts, music, culture, and what makes Paris, Paris. See you there.
Bonus
The Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute—a research library dedicated to the history of women in America—holds a remarkable Julia Child archival collection. This collection offers a rare glimpse into Parisian life from an American perspective, particularly during the years when acclaimed chef and author Julia Child resided there with her husband, from 1948 to 1954.
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- Willem van de Pall (1948). Children play with boats in one of the ponds of the Jardin du Luxembourg.
- Charles Soulier. Panorama de Paris - Pris de la tour Saint-Jacques. ca. 1865.
- Boughton, J. W. (John W.). Outline map of Paris, France : showing principal places of interest. [TIFF]. Philadelphia : Published by John W. Boughton ... , [1900?].
- 5/7/1924, inauguration des Jeux olympiques au stade de Colombes, cérémonie d'ouverture' via Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie, EI-13 (1126).
- Liebert, A. (1889). Tour Eiffel 3b40739.
- Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest from the Collection of Maurice Wertheim, Class of 1906
- Photograph by Paul Child. (1950). Views of Paris in the spring. © Schlesinger Library, Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Views of Paris in the spring. Image ID: ss_17942537.